Booze and Boat Bits #7 (5 Short Items of Interest)

And now it's time to return to Blue Lou's quick entries on happenings in the world of piracy, vessels, and alcohol!  It's been a while for some of these topics, starting with...

washed up?

1.  Somalia update:  There are numerous signs that piracy in Somalia has been, if not eradicated, at least brought under a reasonable amount of control.  Signs of its demise began earlier this year.  A September 25th article for the Huffington Post described how Hobyo, historically one of the key pirate dens, is now back on hard times.  You know the boom is over when "most of the prostitutes are gone and luxury cars (are) repossessed."  At that time, 5 vessels had been seized in 2012, compared to 25 in 2011 and 47 in 2010.  December 17th news was even better:  NO ships have been seized by the Somalis in the last 6 months!  Many factors have been credited for the increased success in averting successful pirate attacks--on-board defenses, better and more constant communication between merchant vessels and naval patrols, and air reconnaissance over the shoreline.  Nevertheless, Somali piracy is far from over.  5 ships and 136 hostages are still being held.  In an article for Reuters, Dutch Commodore Ben Bekkering, now commander of NATO's Operation Ocean Shield, told the press, "I am convinced, if navy ships would disappear, the piracy model would still be intact."  He insisted that a minimum of 16 to 18 ships need to be on patrol at any one time just to cover the broad area of the pirates' hunting ground.  Out-of-work pirates, meanwhile, are not treated warmly in the towns where they live, many citizens blaming piracy for what Hobyo mayor Ali Duale Kahiye calls "inflation, indecency, and insecurity."  Even the investors that used to fund pirate expeditions are backing off, seeing decreasing returns.  It is important to keep in mind that poverty and instability will still make the pirates' life appealing.  Yet it seems that...just maybe...we're winning.

washed up?

2.  Kalakala update:  Our dear old ferry has entered a new phase of limbo.  As reported at the Tacoma News Tribune, in November the Kalakala passed from Steve Rodrigues to Karl Anderson, who owns the moorage where the ferry resides and who invited Rodrigues and his boat back in 2004.  The transfer was a "quietly arranged lien foreclosure sale," as Rodrigues owned $4,000 in past due rent.  Kalakala remains in its conundrum:  The Coast Guard still considers it "a hazard to navigation," but, at the same time the Coast Guard has declared it too fragile to move, environmental regulators have forbidden repairs on the water.  Call me a perpetual optimist, but, honestly, I am hopeful about the new ownership.  Rodrigues' heart was in the right place, but he was a dreamer not a planner, and certainly no businessman.  Anderson has made clear that he'd rather restore than scrap, and, besides, the only graving dock up to the task of dismantling the big ferry--a dock that also happens to be owned by Anderson--is tied up with making pontoons for the 520 floating bridge for two years.  Anderson may not be the one to bring back the Kalakala to its former glory, but, at the very least he seems to care about her.  The waiting game continues, same as it ever was.

washed down!

3.  'Tis the season to give beer.  Last week at work, we had "Secret Santa" exchanges.  My Secret Santa scored perfectly, supplying me with toys, a huge one-pound bag of Pirate's Booty cheese puffs, the book Dead Men Tell No Tales on the 18th century pirate Charles Gibbs (a book I didn't even know existed), and finally a gift box with three pint glasses she hand etched with skull and crossbones and two big bottles of ale!!  The beer was from a brewery I was unfamiliar with, Minhas Craft Brewery of Monroe, Wisconsin.  Minhas traces its origins to the Blumer Brewery, founded way back in 1845 during the Midwest's lager boom, and today makes its way out of Wisconsin via Trader Joe's.  Although it is in a little town in rural cheese country, they style themselves nautical under the brand name "Boatswain."  The two beers I was given were a double IPA called Twin Screw Steamer and a strong ale called Heavy Lift Vessel.  The former was unremarkable, simply because I really could care less about IPA.  The latter, however, I would recommend as a sturdy, hearty brew, one that I would not only drink again but also could see myself trying to adapt into a homebrew recipe.  More importantly, I would like to suggest that my coworker Juanita had the right idea:  Don't waste your Christmas money buying socks or a gift card, show someone you care by giving them good ale!

4. It may be a wee bit wet and cold for sailing, but what does that matter to underwater archaeologists?  Between diverticulitis, work, and the coming of fall weather, I have not been to the Center for Wooden Boats in months, but then the CWB livery does tend to hibernate, too.  Nevertheless, the CWB's blog "Bearings" tells of restoration work, a new exhibit on boathouses and fishing resorts of Puget Sound, and the ongoing survey of shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Union.  I have embedded a nicely made 9-minute video about the project above, and you can learn more at the Lake Union Virtual Museum.  I have written about this before.  It is not just of local interest:  It is a remarkable work of archaeology because of the extreme conditions it takes place in and the treasure trove of vessels found.

not a wash, a wish

5.  A month ago, I posted on how I was going to 'pretend' to take Mystic Seaport's summer seminar at the Munson Institute.  Well, all of the books have arrived from Amazon as well as two thick readers from Dr. Glenn Gordinier.  Dr. Gordinier told me that the seminar did not have any assignments; this was not a graduate seminar but an educators' seminar, and not only was the reading list too intense for weekly papers, but, really, teachers probably don't need the practice when they're too busy writing articles for actual publication.  So, by comparing the reading list to the draft syllabus posted online, I have created my OWN assignments.  In the upcoming weeks (or, rather, months), I will be posting here what I am already calling, perhaps presumptuously, "The Munson Papers."  Some of these will be topic only until the reading is done.  These subjects include the definition of maritime studies, the relationship between maritime labor and slavery, and the end of the age of sail.  Others, drawing partly from the actual seminar and partly from my own library and interests, already have initial titles:  "Blackbeard in Colonial Context," "Late Piracy and the Early U.S. Navy:  The Case of Charles Gibbs" (thanks again Juanita...you had no idea), and "Scholars and Scavengers:  Archaeology vs. 'Treasure Hunting'."  As you can tell, my brain is all buzzing.  The bad news is that it might be a while 'til you see a post here on the blog, as I lose myself in hundreds of pages of literature; Hell, I might even take a break from O'Brian (*gasp*)!  The good news is that there are over a dozen 'papers' you can look forward to reading...and, for me, perhaps the seeds of a new academic career.  Plus, you know, I'm a pirate, and thus likely to be distracted by something shiny that I think is worth writing about.

Stay roguish, my friends...

Booze and Boat Bits #6 (5 short items of interest)

Hehehehe

I was going to make this the “All Good News” edition, but every single story ended up with a flip side.  In the words of Robert Carlyle’s marvelously creepy Rumpelstiltskin on Once Upon A Time, “All magic comes with a price!”

Judith Tebbutt

1:  The good news:  On Wednesday, Judith Tebbutt, the British woman who was whisked away from the Kenyan resort of Kiwayu Safari Village by Somali "pirates," was released after six months of captivity.  The bad news…is considerable.  One, the son who secured her release appears to have paid a ransom of over a million dollars.  Two, she had no idea until she was a free woman again that her husband had been killed during the kidnapping.  Three, there are still several civilians being held in Somalia, not to mention the nearly two hundred sailors being held on vessels at sea.

All those dots mean booze.

2:  The good news:  Washington state residents are only a couple months away from Booze Emancipation, June 1.  Recently, a fun and helpful interactive map was published that allows you to zoom in on your neighborhood and see who has applied for a liquor license.  It’s just as you’d expect:  grocery chains like QFC and Safeway, “pharmacies” like Walgreens and Bartell, and big box stores like Target and—of course—Cost Co.  I am all abuzz over the potential for competition and, simply, the new convenience.  I can get me rum at the same time I get my cheese, Bandaids, or toilet paper…all the essentials in one spot.  The question:  specialties.  Are the buyers at Safeway really going to think to stock Rogue Blackbeard Dark Rum, Punt e Mes, or Domaine de Canton, or are they just going to stock Bacardi and Martini & Rossi?  Are there going to be stand-alone liquor stores for bartenders or at-home mixologists?  Liberation:  It's never as simple as how you imagined it.

3:   The good news...is that there's no news about the Kalakala.  No reports of taking on water, no threats of immediate demise.  The bad news:  Steve Rodrigues' trailer next to the ferry was hauled away by the property owners, and, as of last report on March 8th, he is depending on family and friends for a place to live.  I am not here to discuss Steve's personal affairs, but since Steve IS the sole visionary for the Kalakala's future this is yet another bad omen.  The one-cent buyer remains a shadow.  The vast majority of online commentary on the Kalakala is negative, most calling for the boat to be scrapped or sunk.  So no news really means that the fate of the Kalakala is still hanging by that same slender, ragged thread.

And you thought he was ugly alive...

4:  The good news:  Shane is dead.  The bad news:  So is Dale, and we all have to wait til Fall for more The Walking Dead.  But there will be Mad Men, and Christina Hendricks is infinitely more sexy than a walker in a barn.

The Goddess Joan

5:  We got an email from our landlord that we need to move by May 31.  This is a complex mixture of good and bad news.  It was inevitable, and in a way I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.  After the initial shock, compounded by the fact that it was morning--I am not a morning person, justsoyaknow-- I have come to realize that this is an opportunity.  Yeah, it's gonna be a gargantuan hassle.  But, in fact, I like moving, and it's something I've done a lot.  Moving is a reset button.  It's a chance to assess your material possessions, sort, and eliminate.  Moving, even just crosstown, means new environs and a chance to learn and explore.  Hell, it's a chance to redecorate, which means maybe I can set up my pirate cave.  For all you readers, I am not going to make this a blog about the move (since this isn't going to mean fulfilling my liveaboard fantasy), and naturally this will temporarily impede my ability to write.  Another day, another horizon.  Watch for my signal flags.

Kalakala update: storm doom?

No need for me to say more than what's already said here at Three Sheets NW...

Storm-damaged Kalakala close to sinking; feds could step in to dismantle ship (updated)

Booze and Boat Bits #4 (5 short items of interest)

Shiny!

1:  Cookies, Crafts & Carols!  Join Blue Lou, Keelhaul, and Button this Saturday, December 10, between noon and 4:00 at Lake Union Park for some seasonal fun.  There'll be boats, sweet stuff, crafty stuff, cheer, song...and pirates!  I'll be wandering about and doing stories when the moment seems right.  I have even adapted The Night Before Christmas into a pirate tale!  Be there, lest ye want a grenadoe in yer stockin'.

Yummy!

2:  Winter is THE best time of the year for beer:  The seasonals are all strong, flavorful, and spicy.  Maritime Pacific's Jolly Roger is the one most likely to end up in my fridge, and not just for the label; it's a fine, robust ale that just doesn't get old, a great session beer (even if it's a session of one).  I have to say, by the way, that in fact very little of my beer is ever in the fridge these days.  With temperatures here in Seattle barely reaching 40 degrees daily, I just keep the case on the back deck!  Anyhow, seek this one out if you can--a six pack, on tap at your local (it's even better on cask), or best of all at Maritime Pacific's beautiful Jolly Roger Tap Room.  If not, support your regional brewery...they're sure to have something fabulous right now.

Floaty!

3:  The Kalakala hasn't been in the news for quite some time, but today this popped up suddenly on various sources:  "Kalakala on sale for $1."  After the initial 'WHA'?' moment, I looked into it.  This is what it says on kalakala.org:  "A new owner can purchase our Kalakala today for $1.00 or best offer, without our proposed partnership! We are seeking a qualified and motivated investor or buyer as alternatives to assure the full restoration of an incredible maritime historic ship with global social and cultural significances.  Salvage companies not welcome!" The Seattle Times has this article, adding that not only has Concrete Tech ended Rodrigues' lease for the ferry's moorage at the end of the year but also the Coast Guard is insisting on a plan by December 19 on "a tow plan and a heavy weather plan."  Rodrigues states that everything will be done properly, he has several possible tow sites, and the Coast Guard decision is being appealed.

Rodrigues is also quoted in the Seattle Times:  "I’m selling it for $1 to the right person. Then it’s closed, it’s their story. The most-treasured world-class vessel will become one person’s yacht."  In short, Rodrigues is at least willing to pass the torch.  I'm not sure whether this move is desperate or wise.  I'm not even sure if he knows what this means.  What does seem clear is that Rodrigues has acknowledged--at last?--that he may not in the end by the Kalakala's savior.   It is also clear that the Kalakala is about to enter another chapter in its history.  It ain't over, just changing...again.  I'll be reading, and I'll keep everybody up to date (as usual).

North-y!

4.  In the category of solid good news, the CWB has signed a lease with King County for a North Lake Union site, located west of the famous Gas Works Park, next to the Harbor Patrol.  The first project will be cleanup; this was a fuel facility and has belonged to Metro Transit for decades.  This will then become a site for boat restoration, maintenance, and storage.  The "Northlake Community Wharf" is envisioned to become a destination of its own. This is really cool.  The Center always needs more space.  This will introduce the CWB vision to a new neighborhood.  And, personally, I imagine a time when one can sail up the lake with a destination, not just up and back.

5:  Yesterday, I was at Target getting Christmas wrap and paper towels.  I looked down the wine aisle, and I had a vision that made me grin.  I saw in my mind a whole aisle full of liquor.  I imagined rum, vodka, and bourbon at real prices, maybe even at discount.  June 2012 will be FREEDOM.  You have no idea how much the passing of Prop 1183 pleases me and makes me think that maybe the state I live in is not completely Cro-Magnon.  I know why the caged booze sings.

Zesty!

Meanwhile, the cocktail Ingredient of the Month is not the stereotypically Christmas cranberry, tho' I have nothing against bourbon and cranberry juice, the December drink of the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives (thanks, Laurel!).  No, the ingredient du moment is Texsun Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, which shouldn't be too hard to find.  I am NOT a fan of grapefruit generally.  The grapefruits I grew up with as a kid (i.e., what was available in suburban supermarkets) were just too damned acidic for my taste, but this Ruby Red juice (thank you, Zanne) has the distinctive flavor without the pucker.  This goes with just about every mixable liquor you can name...OK, maybe not Ouzo, but no one should drink Ouzo EVER.  It is also friendly with other citruses and mixers.  Go strong, go weak...experiment.

6:  BONUS NEWS:  "The Journal of Blue Lou Logan" recently zipped past 3,000 hits, and the number of hits per month continues to grow.  Ahoy readers!  Y'all come back now, y'hear?

Booze and Boat Bits #3 (5 short items of interest)

1:  Move over Somalia, there's a new pirate hot spot:  Nigeria.  An article for the AFP indicates that there is a surge in maritime attacks in West Africa, and specifically in the Gulf of Guinea.  Fact is, this is neither surprising nor new...just new to me.  After only a quick search, I found online articles about Nigerian pirates going back to at least 2008.  There's even a short Wikipedia entry.  Nigeria is well known for its organized crime, from drug trafficking to international fraud.  This is one of the things that makes piracy here very different from piracy off the Horn of Africa.  I'm learning (see my comments about Jay Bahadur's book below) that the Somali pirates are opportunistic and do not have what could be called long-term structure.  The Nigerians, in contrast, are all but militaristic.  They have to be:  Their prime targets are oil tankers, and they're not after ransom but the cargo itself.  The Nigerians, heavily armed and working in organized groups of high-speed boats, seize ships which they divert to waiting facilities so that the oil can be sold on the very busy, lucrative black market.  Although the pirates are Nigerian, their safe harbor appears to be Benin.  The navies of both countries seem to be unable--or unwilling--to handle the problem.  I'm curious to see what the international reaction is going to be.  Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil-producing nation, supplies a full fifth of the United States' imported oil.  Guess what, we've got more modern pirate news to watch for.

Kalakala update: Aboard for Faith, A First-Hand Account

The Kalakala:  See?  She floats.

It's historic.  It's beautiful.  It's creepy.  It's alive.  Today, Zanne and I boarded the Kalakala for the first time, after years of seeing her from afar.  As previously written, Steve Rodrigues had put out an open call to come out Friday or Saturday to help "clean."  It was an opportunity not to be missed, and it was so very worth it.

Kalakala update: Hope in tourism?

I never heard back from the Kalakala team, and the Net's been quiet.  Today I got curious and went over to kalakala.org, where I discovered a brand new press release.  The owners, who, for a while, have been going under the moniker of the ferry's old operator, "Black Ball Line," have signed with Select Contracts, an international company that advertises its "turnkey" approach, which basically means that they oversee planning, design, implementation, and operation, all under one budgetary umbrella.  This press release gave me a little flutter of hope:  Might there actually be a plan to save the boat?  As I dug further, however, the proposal became about as murky as the waters of the Hylebos Waterway.

Kalakala update: No news is good news?

The WWW has been very quiet lately about our favorite Art Deco ferry.  The only article lately was this one from the Tacoma News-Tribune on 5/4, discussing how the Kalakala's owner Steve Rodrigues talked to a very skeptical audience about moving the boat to Bellingham.  Yet there has been no formal proposal made public.  The official Kalakala website, typically, gets facelifts and new historical pictures and words without ever actually giving any NEWS.  I took the above picture (which is undated) directly from the Website, where it has the optimistic caption "Hope Floats."

So one can at least assume that the Kalakala remains above water and that the "disaster waiting to happen"...hasn't.  My care and curiosity, however, has finally driven me to try emailing the crew at kalakala.org directly.  I'll let you know what I find out...

The Kalakala seems OK: an eyewitness report

With little more direction than a Google Maps location, Zanne and I went in search of the Kalakala today.  First we went around on Marine View Drive, and peering around a refinery we saw where she was.  There was no good photo spot.  We backtracked and went out into the port on Taylor, thinking this was actually the way to the boat.  We were right, although we could still get no better view than a peek between buildings.

I am happy to report that--at least with the tide in--she appeared upright and on an even keel.  The news has been painfully quiet about the Kalakala lately, and since Zanne and I were already out for the opening of the Olympia Farmers Market (and a run to Sonic) we decided to go see her ourselves.  Don't call her a trashy hulk:  She's still beautiful.  And she's afloat.

By the way, if anyone knows if and how to get to the Kalakala, or at least a decent place for a picture, PLEASE leave a comment...

Kalakala update

I found this hidden in the comments to KOMO News' coverage of the Kalakala's current predicament:

"I volunteered my help on the Kalakala yesterday. I found someone had intentionally destroyed the power line to the ship at an unknown time. When this happened it shuts down all lighting and pumps that drain out the accumulated rain water from the heavy rains. As you see, the ship is resting on the shore line and at 6pm last night the Kalakala was afloat on its own. This is not the first time the power cord has been intensionally destroyed and we have not found out who did this evil actions on a worlds famous ship that helped tens of thousands of people when it was in full operation. The owner has a very few volunteers to help maintain the ship. The state officials have made it very difficult to work on the ship so I put the blame on them."

Meanwhile, this commentary at the Tacoma News Tribune is arguing that the only way to save the "dream" of the Kalakala is that "that remnant of a great vessel must be put out of its misery in short order."  The author states that the "idea" of the Kalakala must be distinguished from the "actual hulk," the latter being best given back to "the element she belongs to."

In other words, we have a hardworking volunteer corps that is besieged not only by dumbass saboteurs but also naysayers masquerading as romantics who think that she's not worth it anymore and should be, well, euthanized.

Don't know about you, but the answer to preservation is generally more work by those who actually care...NOT debates about whether death with dignity is the final answer.  This is heritage, not a terminally ill patient.

Save the Kalakala...again

The ferry Kalakala is once again in trouble.  This morning, before I went back to bed to nurse what is either a hangover or the first signs of the flu that has been knocking out my coworkers, G'ma (a.k.a. my mother in law), showed us this story on King 5.  You can also read about it here at the Seattle Times.  The scoop is this:  After everything else the Kalakala has been through, she now seems to be at serious risk of going down at her current location on Tacoma's Hylebos Waterway.